Abercrombie & Fitch is the most popular and fashionable teen retailer. From humble beginnings Abercrombie has become a teenage Mecca. Originally A&F was a professional sporting goods store that outfitted some of America’s finest and most influential leaders and other wealthy patrons. In 1988, Limited Brands acquired the Abercrombie & Fitch name and carefully rolled out its new concept and created the Abercrombie & Fitch we know and love today. You can find Abercrombie & Fitch located throughout America in upscale shopping malls. The chain targets 18-24 year old college students from the upper-middle class, but it is more popular among middle and high school students. Abercrombie & Fitch promotes itself as a lifestyle brand, which is a brand that embodies the values and appeal of a desirable way of living. Stores have pictures of physically attractive models and they are carefully laid out. Merchandise is rotated so the regular customers always have a different shopping experience. The stores also are spritzed daily with Abercrombie cologne and feature loud dance music blaring though powerful speakers. Abercrombie stores also hire workers who embody the Abercrombie image; attractive, athletic, popular, enthusiastic, and outgoing. Abercrombie’s clothing is fairly predictable they feature common staples such as woven shirts, denim, miniskirts, cargo shorts, wool sweaters, polo shirts, and t-shirts. Labels on clothing reinforce the company’s image of as a casual luxury merchandiser and emphasize the quality and durability of the product. Careful marketing made the brand synonymous with wealth and status among young patrons. Abercrombie stores are easily recognized by a white facade, navy blue awnings, and solid metal and glass doors. The interior features gray walls, white molding, polished concrete and black wood floors, metal fixtures, and large pictures of scantily-clad models. Abercrombie & Fitch has been mired in controversy due to its ill-fated A&F Quarterly, accusations of discrimination against minority employees, and degrading T-shirts. The A&F Quarterly was a magazine/catalog sold from 1997 to 2003; it was released four times a year and included erotic photographs along with articles and advertisements for their clothing. After protests from religious organizations and other activist groups Abercrombie pulled the catalog from the stores, they then announced they were discontinuing the A&F Quarterly. Abercrombie has also been criticized for slogans on their clothing. Back in 2002 controversy erupted over shirts featuring racist caricatures of Asians and other ethnic groups. One shirt featured the slogan "Wong Brothers Laundry Service—Two Wongs Can Make It White" with smiling figures in conical hats, a 1900s popular-culture depiction of Chinese immigrants. That year A&F also created thongs for children that included phrases like "Eye Candy" and "Wink Wink" printed on the front. The shirts and thongs were taken down after many protests and boycotts across the country. In 2004 more controversy occurred due to a shirt featuring the phrase, "It's All Relative in West Virginia." West Virginia governor Bob Wise spoke out against the company for depicting "an unfounded, negative stereotype of West Virginia," but the shirts were not removed. Another incident involved a shirt with the phrase "L is for loser" written next to a picture of a gymnast on the rings. The company stopped selling the shirt in October of 2004 after USA Gymnastics started a boycott. In 2005 Abercrombie was the subject of a "girl-cott" due to degrading slogans such as "Who needs a brain when you have these?", "Available for parties", and “Blondes are adored, Brunettes are ignored”, they were pulled on November 5th after pressure from the media and activist groups. Abercrombie & Fitch has also been accused of discrimination against minority employees. . A 2004 lawsuit — Gonzales v. Abercrombie & Fitch — accused the company of discriminating against minority employees by offering desirable positions to white employees. Abercrombie decided to settle out of court the terms of the settlement included paying $40 million to rejected applicants and affected employees and create a force to promote diversity in their stores. Abercrombie & Fitch operates three additional concept stores: abercrombie (Abercrombie Kids), a smaller version of the original chain which aims to attract patrons ages 7-14; Hollister Co., which sells California-inspired apparel to attract patrons 14-18; and RUEHL, which sells business casual and leather goods to target ages 22-30. Abercrombie & Fitch has attempted to differentiate itself from its sister brand by raising price-points, introducing a line of higher-end merchandise called "Ezra Fitch," and establishing strategies to limit the intrusion of Hollister into key Abercrombie & Fitch markets.

Becka: OMG so do u want to go to Abercrombie this weekend ?
Tiff: Yah!! I can finally get those Ezra Fitch jeans I want!
Becka: Cool! I need to get a gift card and some polos

A clothing store that is so expensive that gift certificates make you pay extra for the clothes you buy. The company will, in many cases, "pre-wrinkle" the shirts for you. Jeans can also be purchased with a holes already in them. The clothes feel, oddly enough, like they've already been used.

The type of clothing worn by Aberzombies, a peculiar specimin which infest college campuses and upscale suburban high schools across the North American landmass.

Nominally a human being, the Aberzombie is easily identifiable by large advertisements worn on its chest and buttox. It tends to come from wealthy stock, drives an SUV and mates exclusively with other Aberzombies.

The musical taste of the Aberzombie is limited to bands like Dave Matthews and O.A.R. Its SUV is typically emblazoned with a sticker reading "DMB" so as to communicate its bland taste in music to potential mates.

The Aberzombie is not without its natural enemies, however. Most prominent among them are independent thought and a sense of style. The Aberzombie will go to great lengths not to face such horrific ideas, most often by associating only with fellow Aberzombies. In the rare case that it is exposed to outside ideas/free thought, it will utilize its only defense mechanism: complaining that others are envious and simply cannot afford Abercrombie clothing.

A clothing story that will give you popularity in exchange for your dignity, self-respect, and a shitload of cash. Mommy's little boys and girls shop there to fit an image and to cover up their low self-esteem. This store preys on sexually-deprived horny teenagers. Plus, for girls, abercrombie shirts give you breasts. Abercrombie clothing is a great way to spot a whore - it's quite helpful in judging people. Shit, man, I'm only gonna be a walking billboard if I'm gonna get paid for it...why would I pay to be able to advertise?? WHATS WRONG WITH OUR SOCIETY??

Doug: Hey, DUDE, if I buy this abercrombie shirt...girls will have sex with me.

Ashley: Hey, if i buy this abercrombie shirt...ill go from an A to a C! Then the boys will know I'm E-Z!!!

A mall store that caters to upper-middle class suburbanites, with brilliant ad campaigns. You may think their clothes are slutty (which some are) or preppy (which most aren't), but in reality their marketing scheme has worked on you, too. Their goal, when they changed from being an outdoors store to a teenage fashion mecca, was to spread the word-and it worked. Everyone knows what Abercrombie is, and whether you like it or not, you are buying into their campaign by acknowledging their existence. If you really hated them, you'd ignore them, and not waste your precious time bitching about their ripped jeans. Sure, it might be a waste of money, but it's not your money, so get over it. And whoever said LLBean was preppy was completely wrong.
So basically, Abercrombie & Fitch is a store where you can buy clothes that may or may not be overpriced, but they are a corporation with brilliant marketing executives. You gotta give them props for that, because they probably make more money than you EVER will.

A professional sporting goods store - turned - teen couture fantasy established in 1892 by outdoorsman David T. Abercrombie and successful New York lawyer Ezra Fitch.

1. A clothing store that is often the subject of scorn of many "non-conformists." (Can anyone define jealousy?) They sell faux-vintage clothes which, albeit overpriced, are of good quality. Abercrombie and Fitch follow trends, but will always incorporate the "Abercrombie touch" into their products, i.e. having that lived-in, beach-ready feel.

2. Used to describe people who are usually preps and people willing to spend money on image. Wearing Abercrombie anything is an instant status and image booster, because their brand, whether the "non-conformists" like it or not, is linked very closely with having sex appeal. Associated with conformity, but I don't necessarily agree to that: it depends on the person carrying the brand. Contrary to popular belief, owning Abercrombie & Fitch does not mean giving up a sense of style.

3. Used to describe a certain style that Abercrombie has epitomized: an athletic, breezy, all-around American look; Yacht club - meets - varsity vintage - meets - beach party. Since they have a constant theme incorporated into their clothing, most of their pieces work well with any year and any season. More of a lifestyle for the true Abercrombie convert than simply fashion.